Chapter 1

I stood inside the boxing gymnasium, looking down on the ring from the office. I started to examine some trophies, certificates, a few pictures and commemorations. The door to my right opened and my aunt Claire looked up at me, her mouth open and aghast. I put down the picture frame of two young blonde women holding a 1st place pin.

"Hey." She said, grasping her papers firmly.
"Hey."

I stood there with my long fringe combed over and tucked behind my right ear. I was wearing a dark leather jacket and my torn skinnies.

"How'd you get in here?" She stood, still clutching the papers.

"The door was open so…" I trailed off.

"No, I mean I was watching Biff downstairs, I would've seen you come in-you know what? Forget it, I don't even want to know."
I kept quiet.
"So, is everything alright with your mum?" She asked.
"Yeah."

"You in trouble?" she asked, putting the papers down on the bar.
"No." I said.
"Well then, what the hell are you doing here Aiden?" She asked.

I kept quiet.
"You know, I tried calling you." She said. "I called you twelve times."
I nodded.
"Now, I didn't expect you to call back and talk for hours about your crushes and gossip about your friends, but I was expecting you to call me back and maybe tell me where you were, or at least that you were alright, you weren't kidnapped, or mugged, or beaten and thrown in a ditch." She said calmly.
I took an interest in the wood on the bar and started to pick at the edge of it.

Claire sighed.

"You know what, forget it. What is this all about? I've got to show around some investors." She looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath and looked up a fraction.

"I want to come back." I mumbled, dropping my gaze back down.

She looked at me as if I was asking her for her entire fortune.
"You what?" She asked quietly.
I clenched my jaw and raised my head.

"I want to come back." I said, slightly louder.

"Here?"
"Yes." I said.

"To Bullworth?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Bullworth that you know and hate?"

"Yes."
"To go to the academy that I am associated with?"

"I've said yes about twenty times to you now-"
"Hey, you're the one asking for something here, so drop the attitude James Dean."

I clenched my jaw.
"One more time: you want to come back and live in Bullworth?"
I clenched my jaw even harder.

"Yes."

"Why?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Why? I don't know…maybe it was because I didn't have a home, or friends. At least in Bullworth I could belong. I knew the real reason, but I didn't want it to even enter my mind.

"I just…I want to come back." I said to her.

She half-laughed.
"So after destroying my designs for the school, making me pay your fines for vandalism, and running away from the place that apparently was like a prison for you, you want to come back?"

I looked away from her, and caught sight of an acoustic guitar lying behind the bar.

"You didn't send it off yet?" I asked.

She instantly started to squirm.
"Er, no I just haven't found any boxes for it yet."

"Why didn't you send it to me?"
"I didn't know where you were Aiden!" She said, defending herself.

I nodded. Then took a deep breath.
"So?" I asked, my hands in my pockets and shoulders raised.

She took a breath.
"Things are going to have to be different from now on Aiden."
I clenched my jaw.
"I know."

"You can't do these chalk-body pranks anymore."
I nodded.

"You have to go to class."
"Okay." I said.
"You have to pass."
"I'll pass."
She looked at me.
"Okay then."
I nodded, still feeling slightly strange about getting on with Claire.
"Okay."

"You're staying."
"Seems like it."
Claire nodded.

"I've got to show around these investors now." She said, getting her phone from behind the bar and walking to the door.
"I'll close up the gym tonight." I said.

She looked around at me.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.

"Things are going to be different now."

She nodded, then turned back to walking out of the office.

I bit my lip, then picked up my large green bag and walked out of the gym, back to Bullworth academy.

Took off my jacket and looked around at my room, which had been cleaned and organised since I was last living here. I put down the large bag and started to unpack the clothes and put them in my wardrobe.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs, where I came across Parker, who seemed to be the only decent guy in the clique, dressed in pair of trousers and an expensive shirt.

"Hey Aiden," He said "haven't seen you around lately."
"Yeah," I said, unfocused on the conversation "I've been away for a bit."
"Everyone needs to escape now and then." He smiled.
"Tell me about it." I chuckled. "So, where is everyone? I mean, this is the first time I haven't seen anyone around."
"Don't you know?" He asked. "Wow, you really have been away long." He said. "Bullhorn's first match was last night, and we won. So there's a victory party going on tonight."
"That's cool." I said. "So, everyone's going?" I asked.
"That's right." He said.
I nodded. I turned around to leave the house and as I opened the door, I saw the familiar sight of a girl with bright red hair, a red top and a blue skirt.

"Aiden!" Christy shouted, out of surprise I guess.
"That's me." I said.

"What are you doing here?"
"Talking to you." I said.
She looked at me suspiciously.
"Are you going to the-"

"Yeah, Parker told me so…"
"Right." She said.
Parker came over and greeted Christy.
"Well, I'm going to get going." I said, and started to walk out.
"I'll see you in a minute Parker." Christy said, going after me.

"Aiden," She said, stopping me "She's not in the dorm."

I paused, mulling over what to do in my head.

"Who?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"She's at the party, she's with Jimmy, he's on the team. They worked out everything while you were gone." She said, hesitating. "They're doing really good…Kaitlyn and Jimmy."

I opened my mouth, trying to find the words.

"Good." I said. I couldn't help but smile a little. Kaitlyn was still here.

"Just leave it Aiden." She said as I turned around. "She's with Jimmy, he's her boyfriend: just let it go."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said. "I'm just going to pay homage and show off my newly invoked school spirit." I said, walking away from her and left by the fountain, down the path by the gymnasium and out onto the edge of the field, where a large bomb fire was going on, over a black mat, so as to keep the grass fresh I presumed. I looked around at all the people there, and saw a group of cheerleaders, who were all doing chants to a group of boys; the football team.

I examined the girl on the left of the head cheerleader, and saw a strange sight; Kaitlyn was a cheerleader? And she had a haircut? She looked like….kinda like Pinky…or the head cheerleader. She didn't look like Kaitlyn any more.

The girls finished their chant and started talking to the boys. I noticed Kaitlyn talking to a ginger boy, who still had a buzzcut. She kissed him and the rest of the football team applauded. They broke apart and looked around, and then Kaitlyn looked in my direction. Her mouth was slightly open.

I just stood there, my hands in my pockets. Hopkins turned around to see what she was looking at and then swaggered up to me, anger on his face.

"You put my girlfriend in a hospital bed." He said, shoving me backwards.

All the other students had turned around to see this.

"Jimmy," I said slowly, "I don't want to fight."

"Well I do." He said, shoving me back again. My first thoughts were to hit him back, but I promised Claire I'd be different.
"I'm not fighting you Jimmy."

Kaitlyn appeared at her boyfriend's arm.
"Jimmy, relax. We've been over this. It was a freak accident." She said.

Jimmy started talking with her angrily.
"I just wanted to say hi Kaitlyn." I said to her, then looked Jimmy up and down and walked back up the stairs, heading towards Harrington House.

I got to the fountain when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see Kaitlyn there, running after me.

"Aiden, wait." She said, coming up to me. "Aiden, I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have done this." I muttered, zipping up my jacket to my diaphragm.

"He's just been really down lately, and when you showed up, he just started-"

"He's a bastard Kaitlyn!" I said angrily. "Always was."
"Back there, yeah. He totally was."

"I knew it was pointless talking to him he probably can't even process the words at a normal rate. I guess the razor took some brain cells as well…" I murmured. "I should've bailed."
"I wouldn't have wanted you to…" She muttered.

"He better not come out here." I said angrily, pointing back to the field.

"Aiden, he's just had a lot to drink. And he's the quarter-back he has a lot of pressure on him."

I looked at her, noticing how she was wearing more make-up, her hair was longer, she was wearing the tight cheerleader's uniform and just seemed like more of a 'Popular Girl'.

"What the hell is going on Kaitlyn?" I asked, exasperated.

"I told you, he's got a lot of pressure on him, and he's had a lot to drink-"

"No, not with him, with you. What's going on with you?"

She looked at me, slightly offended.

"I have…no idea what you-"

"You know what I meant Kaitlyn." I said, frustrated at her now. "I know you Kaitlyn. I know you better then anyone else on that field!" I said, point back to it again. "What's happened to you? Since when were you this…cheerleader who…goes to victory parties, and drinks? Who does some dance for some guys?" I was genuinely asking because I had no idea. I was wrong I didn't know this girl at all. This didn't seem to be Kaitlyn any more. "You're going out with this jerk who gets drunk and acts like a dick, then you try and defend him?" I caught sight of her wrist. "You're not even wearing your bracelet! That thing means everything to you you never take it off! And why, why did you become a cheerleader?"

"It's complicated She began, really offended now.

"It's not!" I shouted. "It's not complicated! You're a cheerleader drinking and caking on make-up and you're going out with the 'Star Quarter-Back'!" I shouted. "We made fun of people like that!"
"You caught Jimmy on a bad night he's changed since back then-"

I turned away in exasperation and frustration, then turned back to her. "This isn't about him!" I shouted. Okay? Screw him! What's going on with you?" I looked at her. "This isn't you Kaitlyn, I know it isn't!" She looked down at the floor, thinking deeply. "What's going on?" I asked desperately.
We were silent for a moment.

"I don't know…" She murmured.

I took a deep breath.

"Look, maybe we'll catch up some other time. I'm gonna stick around for a bit so…"
We stood there for a minute and then I started to walk away. I stopped abruptly, checked my watch and turned around.
"Hey," I called, turning her around. "Happy birthday." I said to her. "It's your birthday today isn't it?"
She nodded.
I took the book out of my back pocket and gave it to her.
"It's my favourite." I said, handing her A Farewell to Arms.
I put a hand on her arm, rubbing it slightly and wanted so badly to hug her. Just to put my arms around her. Instead, I turned around and walked down towards the house.
"Hey!" I turned around to see Kaitlyn still standing on the other side of the fountain.

I stood there, waiting for her to say something.

"You know, when I first started talking to you, everyone said that I was mad. That you were trouble, and I would only get hurt. But I didn't listen to them, because I knew they didn't know you like I did. But you know what you did? You proved them right. You ran away after some stupid accident and didn't contact me for four months. You just went off, enjoying yourself! Not a second thought about me! And not for Kara either! Not for any of your friends. And now, we're standing here seven months after we first met, and you're acting like you can just walk away?" She said angrily. I started to walk up to her while she was saying this.
"You can talk about how I've changed, and you know what? I have! I changed, the day I woke up in a hospital bed and saw Jimmy sitting there, looking after me, and not you."

I stood a few feet away from her, listening to the rant.

"And now you just waltz in here and say you're going to 'stick around'? How can we know that? How can I know that? More importantly, how can you? I mean, you're what, spending a week here and then going somewhere else on your road trip of America?" She shook her head in disbelief. "What are you even doing here? You left the school."
"I moved back." I said.
"What?" She asked, solely surprised.

I shrugged.
"I moved back."
She looked at me, her rant and anger with me forgotten.
"Why?" She asked.
I shrugged.
"I just…wanted to." I said.

We stood there for a second, then she took a quick step towards me, wrapped her hands around my neck and kissed me. I stood there passive for a second, then put my hands on her waist, kissing her back. But as I began to do so, hoping to God I wouldn't wake up, she pushed me back.
"Oh God." She said. She turned back and started to walk away.

"Kaitlyn, I'm sorry-"

"Don't!" She said, coming back up to me.
I stood still, dazed from the kiss.
"Okay." I said.
"I'll see you another time." She said. She hugged me for half a second, and then pushed herself off of me and walked back down to the party.

I stood there, not sure to smile or hit something. I turned around and as I walked back to the house, I realised why she ran away it was the alcohol that made her kiss me. She was still interested in Jimmy.